City Office, Yokohama, c. 1920.

“The Yokohama City Office is … the office of an autonomous city, having a Municipal Assembly as a Representative organ and a Municipal Council as an Administrative organ. The latter is selected from the former.

“The Mayoralty is recognized by the Emperor. The Mayor acts as Chairman of the Municipal Council. While representing the Municipal Council, the Mayor manages the administrative affairs of the State and Prefecture, belonging to the City. The law authorizing the organization of Cities (shi) was proclaimed under date of April 17th, 1888, and came into effect on April 1st of the next year.

“… The new building of the Yokohama City Office is under construction at Minato-cho Itchome, near the Recreation Ground, as a three consecutive years’ work from the present (1908-9) fiscal year. The proposed building is a three-storied one and the cost is estimated at 424,659 yen.”

– Miyage: Souvenir of the U. S. Battleship Fleet’s Visit to Yokohama, compiled by M. Nakada, 1908

City Office, Yokohama, c. 1920, overlooking Minato-bashi. The new municipal building (above), completed in 1911, was sited across the street from the Recreation Ground and Cricket Club and opened a year after the Yokohama City limits had expanded to include the suburban divisions of Honmoku, Negishi and Nakamura.

“The Kanagawa Prefectural Office issued a notification on December 8, 1900, to the effect that several suburban districts including Honmoku, Negishi and Nakamura have been incorporated into the city of Yokohama, and that the same shall be placed under the jurisdiction of the Yokohama Municipality on and after April 1 of this year.

“The Yokohama City office have been conducting investigations regarding the amalgamated districts and the result published shows that when the scheme is carried into practice the present number of houses and population of Yokohama (32,159 houses and 196,966 souls) will be increased to 46, 367 houses and 267,550 souls.

“The number of memebers representing Yokohama in the Imperial Diet will be increased, as also will be the members of the Kanagawa Prefectural Assembly representing the Yokohama Municipality.”

– Diplomatic and Consular Reports. Annual Series, Foreign Office (Great Britain), 1902

Map: Location of Yokohama City Hall, c. 1920.